I. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a method of manufacturing combination flock transfers. Specifically, the invention is directed to transfers that are substitutable and/or enhancements for conventional sewn twill decorative designs. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a product and method that combines twill or other material with flock to produce a decorative product that can be used as a substitute for the conventional sewn-on product.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Sewn twill is usually employed as a means of team lettering athletic uniforms and accessories. It can be very expensive to use sewn twill in decorative applications due to the cost of applying the letters or design to the garment. Each letter must be cut, placed in position and sewn to the garment which is very time consuming and thus expensive. Most importantly, it must be sewn at the edges to avoid fraying during washing.
A sewn multicolor twill design comprises at least two members. As shown in FIG. 1, the sewn twill unit can have an outer member 2 and an inner member 4. Each of the members can be precisely die cut so that the outer member 2 forms an outline for the inner member 4. The inner member 4 is positioned over the outer member 2 and temporarily heat sealed together (tacked) to maintain their alignment.
The letters 6 are then assembled on the garment 8 and temporarily heat sealed (tacked) to maintain their position. The edge of inner member 4 is then hand sewn to the outer member 2. This is followed by the sewing of the edge of outer member 2 to the garment 8. This process must be performed on each letter individually. Instead of sewing the letter it is possible to use an adhesive to affix the letter to the garment.
As is apparent from the preceding the sewn twill process has a number of limitations which make it very expensive and difficult to employ. The process is very labor intensive which makes it much more expensive than other forms of lettering. Not only is it labor intensive but the process requires highly skilled sewers to sew the letters to the garments. Thus, the cost of garments utilizing sewn twill can be prohibitively high which can limit the use of sewn twill in moderately priced goods.
What is needed is an alternative to sewn twill which provides a similar appearance without being expensive to either produce or apply to a garment. It is important that the alternative be easy to apply without the necessity of highly skilled sewers but which can be applied in factories or stores with general technicians using conventional transfer heat presses. It is these objects which the present invention fulfills.